Egypt’s bread subsidies are unsustainable

That in egyptian Arabicthe word for bread, , is the same as the word for life stresses the foodstuff’s importance in the country. Nearly two-thirds of Egypt’s 106m-strong population rely on subsidised bread. Partly as a result, they devour about three times the global average per head. But as its population grows and climate change makes wheat harder to grow, the government’s determination to provide its people with cheap bread looks ever less sustainable.Bread subsidies are already expensive. They cost $2.9bn in the past fiscal year, 2.6% of the budget. Only half of the grain Egypt uses is grown domestically; it is among the world’s largest importers of wheat. That leaves it hostage to global price fluctuations. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine caused a surge in prices last year, though prices have since fallen.